About Us

NURTURES is a grant-funded, STEM-focused research program designing, developing, and implementing teacher professional development, classroom extension activities, and family learning opportunities to create a complementary, integrated system of science education for PreK – 3rd grade.

NURTURES (Phase 1: 2011-2017) was founded on the goal of creating an integrated system of science education for PreK-3rd grade, transforming the way in which PreK-3rd science is taught through the development and implementation of a complementary science education learning model that combines inquiry and learning, formal and informal education, teachers and parents, schools, and the community, in a comprehensive effort to improve science subject interest and science achievement.

Building on the success of the initial phase of the program, the aims of NURTURES (Phase 2: 2017-2020) were to transform early childhood science teaching based upon Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and engage families of PreK-3 students in science inquiry practices to measurably improve student science, literacy, and math achievement. A particularly important facet of this follow-up project was to research how each component (teacher professional development versus family engagement) impacts student learning.

NURTURES (Phase 3: 2020-Present) is funded to specifically work with military-connected teachers and their classroom families. In this latest phase, NURTURES is working with multiple site teams to implement teacher professional development and family engagement programming on a nationwide scale. The foci of this latest phase necessitates further program development and iterations on delivery methods as well as the development of formal facilitator training components to support the addition of multi-site teams.

In conjunction with the development, implementation, and iteration of the NURTURES program over the past decade, NURTURES conducts research on areas including:

    • feasibility of the complementary science learning model in a mid-sized urban location
    • types of supports needed to ensure that PreK-3 teachers implement inquiry-based science
    • supports needed to encourage parents to make use of family science activities
    • student achievement outcomes
    • student achievement outcomes among groups with variable conditions (e.g., teacher PD only, teacher PD & family engagement)
    • multi-site delivery of program elements
    • methods of program delivery
    • feasibility of offering NURTURES at scale.
The NURTURES Team

Principal Investigator
Charlene M. Czerniak, PhD

Co-Principal Investigators
Susanna Hapgood, PhD
Scott Molitor, PhD
Joan Kaderavek, PhD
Kadir Demir, PhD

 

 

 

Program Director
Grant Wilson

Assistant Program Director
Christopher Wojciechowski

Finance Administrator
Alyssa High

Program Facilitators
Dan Bishop, EdD
Deniz Peker, PhD
Jeanna Prieto, PhD

nurtures@utoledo.edu | 419-530-1366